It was obvious to anyone who knows anything about Chicago politics why Mayor Daley tapped state senator Miguel del Valle to fill the vacancy for city clerk.
But over the years del Valle steadfastly refused to endorse Daley–not even in 2003, when the mayor’s only opposition was a lackluster assortment of no-name oddballs. So the obvious question is what’s happened to make him join Daley’s team now. The hired truck scandal? The conviction of former patronage chief Robert Sorich? Skyrocketing property taxes? The ongoing breakdown of CTA services? The school’s persistently high dropout rates?
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It’s odd, but just as an independent movement finally shows a few sparks of life–even aldermen long loyal to the mayor are starting to break ranks–del Valle joins the loyalists. “I have said that he [Daley] has made mistakes,” says del Valle. “But generally speaking I think the city has progressed under his leadership. There are more things that need to be done–he’s acknowledged that. But when you consider the overall progress, I would say he deserves reelection.”
He says the appointment stemmed from a chance encounter with Daley at an event at Malcolm X College this summer. “The mayor said, ‘I’d like to talk to you,” del Valle recalls. “A week went by and I called his office and said, ‘The mayor would like to talk to me.’ They called me back and gave me an appointment.”
As for his old seat, in all likelihood the local Democratic ward commissioners will select state rep Willie Delgado to replace del Valle as senator and Delgado’s old house seat will be filled by someone of 31st Ward committeeman Joe Berrios’s choosing.
They represent the first generation of independent Puerto Rican politicians who came of age in the 80s under Mayor Harold Washington. Other than that, they’re polar opposites. The forceful Gutierrez has always been boldly ambitious, a wheeling-dealing political operator unafraid to challenge authority and impose his will as he clawed his way to the top. Del Valle was more cautious. His nickname was the Saint–the joke was that he’d never make a deal, not even to advance his career.
According to del Valle, he will endorse Daley even if Gutierrez runs: “I’ve already made a commitment to the mayor. What am I going to do–reverse myself?”
